42. Molly
Molly didn’t know how far she walked—far enough for the heels she was wearing to start pinching her toes and rubbing blisters on her heels. She meant to just circle the block as she’d told Torus, but her mind was in too much turmoil to pay attention to where she was going. It was early Summer and Richmond Virginia was already getting hot—though not as hot as Florida had been during their honeymoon, she remembered.
Just the thought of that—of the time she and Torus had spent together in the little bungalow by the beach—was enough to bring tears to her eyes. She couldn’t help remembering how wonderful it felt to be held in the big Kindred’s arms—to hear his heartbeat in her ear as she laid her head on his chest and breathed in his warm, cedar and spice scent…
No, stop thinking like that! she lectured herself, swiping away the tears that were running down her cheeks. It’s over now—he was only with you because he felt sorry for you. And the two of you were never going to be able to make things permanent. I know it hurts, but it’s better this way. It’s?—
“Molly? Molly Byrne—is that you?”
The voice from the car driving on the street beside her made Molly’s head snap around. To her surprise, she saw the driver was none other than Karen Geners. She was ducking her head to look out the side window and waving Molly over.
Though Molly didn’t really want to talk to the other woman—who she hadn’t seen since Karen had gotten drunk at her wedding and caused a scene—she found herself drawn to the car anyway.
“Um, hi Karen,” she said uncertainly, hoping her face didn’t look too much of a mess. She’d probably cried all her make-up off at this point.
“Hey, I can’t believe it’s you!” Karen exclaimed brightly. “What are you doing here in Richmond?
“Oh, I was just—” Molly began, wondering how to explain herself.
“I live here now,” Karen said, interrupting her. Clearly she was more interested in talking than listening. “I left the Mother Ship—it just wasn’t for me. And when I came down here, I met the most interesting people. Hey, this must be some kind of a sign—I’ve been thinking that I wanted to look you up and apologize for what happened at your ceremony,” she went on. “I just got so drunk on that crazy blue liquor I didn’t know what I was saying, you know? And now, here you are—it’s like Fate brought us together!”
“Um, I guess so,” Molly said weakly.
“Well, where are you headed?” Karen asked. “Hop in and I’ll take you for an iced coffee,” she went on, before Molly could even begin to answer. “Come on—we can catch up and talk about old times.”
Molly didn’t really want to “catch up” with Karen, whom she had never really liked very much. But she had nowhere else to go and it was hot outside. Also, she was dehydrated from all the crying she’d done. An iced coffee sounded nice.
“All right,” she said and got into the passenger side seat.
“Buckle up!” Karen sang merrily. “I know the perfect little spot, but it’s a kind of a drive from here. Better be safe.”
“Um, sure.” Molly buckled her seatbelt. “But I can’t go too far from the city.”
“Oh, don’t worry about that. So, do you like music?” Karen asked and then turned on the radio before Molly could answer.
They drove off with Molly staring listlessly out the window.
She had no idea how much danger she was in.